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    Building Integrated Photovoltaics - p028

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    arunghandwal
    PV cells are typically dark in color to minimize light reflection and maximize electricity production. Monocrystalline cells are usually black, grey or blue while polycrystalline cells are medium or dark blue. Thin-film cells have a uniform dark matte surface that can be grey, brown or black. Altering the anti-reflection coating can produce other colors but does so at the cost of reduced efficiency. Additional techniques like ceramic fritting or printed interlayers can modify the appearance of glass-laminate PV modules.

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    Building Integrated Photovoltaics - p028

    Uploaded by

    arunghandwal
    26 views1 page
    PV cells are typically dark in color to minimize light reflection and maximize electricity production. Monocrystalline cells are usually black, grey or blue while polycrystalline cells are medium or dark blue. Thin-film cells have a uniform dark matte surface that can be grey, brown or black. Altering the anti-reflection coating can produce other colors but does so at the cost of reduced efficiency. Additional techniques like ceramic fritting or printed interlayers can modify the appearance of glass-laminate PV modules.

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    Building Integrated Photovoltaics_p028

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    PV cells are typically dark in color to minimize light reflection and maximize electricity production. Monocrystalline cells are usually black, grey or blue while polycrystalline cells are medium or dark blue. Thin-film cells have a uniform dark matte surface that can be grey, brown or black. Altering the anti-reflection coating can produce other colors but does so at the cost of reduced efficiency. Additional techniques like ceramic fritting or printed interlayers can modify the appearance of glass-laminate PV modules.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    26 views1 page

    Building Integrated Photovoltaics - p028

    Uploaded by

    arunghandwal
    PV cells are typically dark in color to minimize light reflection and maximize electricity production. Monocrystalline cells are usually black, grey or blue while polycrystalline cells are medium or dark blue. Thin-film cells have a uniform dark matte surface that can be grey, brown or black. Altering the anti-reflection coating can produce other colors but does so at the cost of reduced efficiency. Additional techniques like ceramic fritting or printed interlayers can modify the appearance of glass-laminate PV modules.

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    of 1

    2.4.

    3 Colour and texture


    PV cells usually have a dark appearance because they are designed to reflect a
    minimum of light, in order to produce maximum electricity output. Monocrystalline
    silicon PV cells are typically black, grey or blue, while polycrystalline silicon cells
    are usually medium or dark blue. The appearance of thin-film amorphous silicon
    cells is uniform, with a dark mat surface; colours include grey, brown and black.
    Cells based on CIS and CdTe are dark brown to black.
    By varying the thickness of the anti-reflection coating, other colours can be obtained,
    such as the multi-coloured polycrystalline cells shown here (Fig. 2.21). But by doing
    this, the overall reflection will increase and the efficiency will decrease by 15–30%
    depending on the colour. These modules are considered as custom-made prod-
    ucts, and their price can be two or three times the price of normal cells.
    The glass laminate that supports the PV cells can be modified to provide a different
    appearance of the panel, by using the available glass techniques.
    A ceramic silk-screen frit can be applied to the back pane of a glass laminate PV
    module to achieve the required aesthetics. In the case study in section 6.6, one of the
    glass laminates has been treated to provide a translucent diffusive appearance.
    A large range of patterns and colours of ceramic fritting is available. Ceramic fritting
    is often used to produce look-alike glass units, to be installed where PV modules
    would be inappropriate, such as permanently shaded areas.
    A printed or coloured interlayer can be built into a glass laminate PV module, below
    the silicon cell. Interlayers may have printed photographic images applied.

    Fig. 2.21 Examples of the coloured effects on poly-


    crystalline silicon cells created by varying the thick-
    ness of the anti-reflection coating.
    Photo courtesy: Sunways AG

    28 2. PV BASICS

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